▲ 26 r/askphilosophy
How true is the trope that to fully grasp any of the modern (post-1800s) philosophers you first need to read 5+ increasingly older philosophers that span the history of Western philosophy?
Pretty much the title but I very frequently hear things like "To fully grasp Marx you need to first understand Hegel" and then "To understand Hegel you need to read Kant" and then "To understand Kant you need to read Hume" and then "To grasp Hume you need to read Descartes" and on and on
u/New_Syllabub8611 — 1 day ago